As the spring sports season begins to wind down, many teams are already beginning to prepare for their next season.

The football team had its annual blue and white scrimmage, the men’s soccer team had its spring exhibition matches, and five teams have announced additions to their rosters for next year.

Let’s take a look forward and see how some of Butler’s teams will be changing for the 2012-13 school year.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

The men’s basketball team finished the 2011-12 season with a 22-15 record, averaging 40.8 percent shooting from the field and 28.1 percent shooting from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were ranked eighth and 10th in the Horizon League in those categories, respectively.

The team has a chance to improve with the additions of senior guard and transfer Rotnei Clarke and incoming freshman guard Kellen Dunham.

In three seasons at Arkansas, Clarke averaged more than 15 points per game and shot nearly 44 percent from 3-point range.

Dunham averaged more than 29 points during his senior season at Pendleton Heights High School.

The Bulldogs will also be adding guard Devontae Morgan from Tampa, Fla., and guard Chris Harrison-Docks from Okemos, Mich.

Morgan led his high school team to a state championship last season, averaging more than 15 points and six rebounds per game.

Harrison-Docks averaged 21 points and five steals per game in his senior season.

The team will lose only two players—guard Ronald Nored and forward Garrett Butcher.

Butler will have to make up for the loss of Nored’s defensive prowess, as well as the experience and leadership provided by the pair.

Clarke and seniors Emerson Kampen, Chase Stigall and Andrew Smith will likely be asked to step up and fill those roles.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The women’s basketball team concluded its 2011-12 season with a 13-17 record and said goodbye to two senior guards—Devin Brierly and Kaley May.

Brierly was the only Bulldog to start in all 30 of the team’s games. She recorded more than 32 minutes of playing time per game, averaging 11 points per game.

Sophomore center Sarah Hamm is the only returning player to average more than 10 points per game last season.

Hamm will be joined by sophomore guard Jenna Cobb, freshman forward Hayley Howard and freshman guard Hannah Douglas, who all played key roles on the team last season.

Butler will also be adding four incoming freshman—forward Katie Brewer from Indianapolis, guard Blaire Langlois from Carmel, guard Lexus Murry from Indianapolis and forward-center Olivia Wrencher from West Chester, Ohio.

Brewer is a versatile player who has the ability to knock down three-pointers and battle down low.

Langlois has deep range on her jump shot but also has the ability to make plays with her passing.

Murry averaged more than 22 points per game during her senior season and can also be effective on the defensive end, where she averaged 3.5 steals per game.

Wrencher will bring size to the Bulldogs that will complement the play of Hamm and Howard under the basket.

SOFTBALL

The softball team will lose seven seniors at the conclusion of its current season, including four-year starting outfielder and third baseman Lauren McNulty, Butler’s home run record-holding first baseman Erin Falkenberry and catcher Mallory Winters.

Despite this, coach Scott Hall has five incoming players who could make an immediate impact on the program.

Alex Kotter, a shortstop from Vincennes Lincoln High School, had a .615 career batting average and was an Indiana first team All-State pick.

Chelsea Conover, an outfielder from Brownsburg, led her high school team in stolen bases, runs scored and on-base percentage for three years.

Audrey East is a utility player from New Palestine High School. East is one of the best power hitters in Indiana and boasted a .902 slugging percentage, eight home runs and 47 RBIs last season.

Taylor Lockwood, a pitcher from Southport High School, has good control and will be a solid addition to the pitching staff.

The same could be said for Kristin Gutierrez, a left-handed power pitcher from Highlands Ranch High School in Colorado.

Gutierrez, a 2011 Triple Crown All-American honoree, is a dual threat with her pitching and hitting. She led her conference with 127 strikeouts and recorded a .542 batting average.

The success of the pitching recruits could be key with the loss of senior pitcher Breanna Fisher and injuries to junior pitcher Jenny Esparza this season.

BASEBALL

The baseball team will add four players who could have an immediate impact next season.

Nick Bartolone is a left-handed outfielder from Harrison High School. Coach Steve Farley said he expects Bartolone to compete for position in the outfield next year.

Chris Marras, a catcher from Vernon Hills, Ill., will get the chance to work with two fifth-year senior catchers, Radley Haddad and Nick Hladek.

Nick Saldutti is a power-hitting first baseman from Westfield High School. He hit .477 with a .571 on-base percentage in his junior season.

Drew Small is a utility player from Zionsville. He was an All-State honorable mention.

His versatility and speed will help him compete for a spot in the outfield, especially with the loss of senior outfielder Mike Hoscheit.

The Bulldogs will also lose pitchers Dom Silvestri, Mike Hernandez, Brad Schnitzer, Brian Padove and Ryan Salvino, as well as senior infielder Griffin Richeson.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team is returning eight players who played in at least 50 sets last year and lost only one senior in Maureen Bamiro.

Bamiro, a former middle blocker, finished with the second-best attack percentage in Butler history and sixth all-time in kills and kills per set.

Last season, she was voted All-Horizon League.

The Bulldogs will return sophomore middle blocker Maggie Harbison, who will likely be a key contributor after being voted All-Horizon League last season.

Butler will also add two transfer students.

Freshman Erica Stahl, a transfer from Cincinnati, will be an addition to the middle blocker position.

Stahl only has four sets of collegiate experience under her belt but was named among the top high school volleyball players by the Under Armour Watch list in 2010.

Sophomore Morgan Peterson, a setter from Middle Tennessee State, will have two years of eligibility with the Bulldogs.

She averaged 8.58 assists and 1.41 digs per set last season.

The Butler baseball and softball teams inked the newest commits to their respective teams during the NCAA early signing period last month.

The baseball team added Nick Bartolone, Chris Marras, Nick Saldutti and Drew Small to their squad for the 2013 season. Each player hails from the Midwest, with all but one coming from Indiana.

Bartalone is expected to be an outfielder for the Bulldogs and is coming off back-to-back all-conference selections as he enters his senior season at Harrison High School in West Lafayette.

“He’s a left-handed hitting power guy,” coach Steve Farley said. “Nick’s going to get bigger and stronger, and he’s got a good chance to be one of our starting outfielders pretty quick.”

Marras joins the Bulldogs after a successful high school career in the Chicago suburb of Vernon Hills. Along with being selected team MVP and named team captain at VHHS, Marras also played summer ball with Top Tier, a premier summer team that also claims several current Bulldogs as alumni.

“We looked at a lot of different catchers and felt like he was a good fit for us,” Farley said. “Catcher is an important position, he’s got a good, strong arm, and he reminds me of some of the better players we’ve had in the past.”

Saldutti hails from Westfield, a northern Indianapolis suburb, and plays first base while batting as a powerful left-hander. Saldutti hit .471 over the summer playing for the Indiana NorthStars.

“He started to really stand out as one of the better first basemen over the summer, and he really likes Butler,” Farley said.

Small will join the Bulldogs as a versatile all-purpose player.

Small earned all-state honorable mention status last year and looks to contribute to his Zionsville High School  baseball team, which is coached by former Butler coach John Zangrilli, during his senior season.

“He’s a really good athlete and comes from a good family,” Farley said.  “He’s a good leadoff man type of guy, a really good team player.”

On the other diamond, the softball team added five players at the early signing deadline. Four players are from Indiana and one is from Colorado.

Alex Kotter, Chelsea Conover, Audrey East, Taylor Lockwood and Kristin Gutierrez will join the Bulldogs starting in 2013.

Kotter is a first team all-state selection out of Vincennes Lincoln High School and holds a career batting average of .615.

“She’s a very talented hitter,” coach Scott Hall said.  “She’s a very good athlete, and she’s very fluid with everything.”

Conover hails from Brownsburg and will give the Bulldogs a boost in the speed department.  She led her team in stolen bases last year, along with on-base percentage and runs scored.

“She fits what we are looking for, and speed doesn’t take a day off,” Hall said.

East will provide some power to the Butler attack next year. She led New Palestine high school in home runs, doubles and walks while helping lead the team to a state title in 2009.

“With us graduating two catchers this year, we needed someone to fill those shoes,” Hall said.

Lockwood rounds out the local recruits and will bring depth to the Bulldog pitching attack. A 2011 Indianapolis Star Super Team honoree, Lockwood went 17-4 on the mound for Southport High School last season.

“She’s a kid who can increase her strength, movement and velocity in the circle, and she can definitely be a factor for us pitching,” Hall said.

Gutierrez will come to Butler from Colorado, and she will provide a left-handed pitching presence for the Bulldogs.  She led her conference not only in strikeouts but also in hitting.

“She gives us another option as a left-handed pitcher,” Hall said.  “She fits the Butler Way motto, and we are really excited to have her.”